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This paper addresses two vital concerns
in the debate on adaptation to climate change. First, how
can countries prepare to manage the impact of climate-change
induced natural disasters? Second, how can countries ensure
that they have the governmental institutions required to
manage the phenomenal challenge of adaptation to climate
change? A range of economic and institutional measures are
tested for their potential effects on natural disaster
resilience and the quality of environmental governance. The
findings suggest an important role is played by social and
political institutions in determining the ability of
countries to adapt to climate change and respond to natural
disasters, in particular in the degree to which countries
have succeeded in gender empowerment and the development of
a robust civil society and nonprofit sector. As the climate
change challenge moves from that of "proving the
facts" to that of "implementing change," the
authors suggest that international policymakers, donors, and
activists must increasingly focus on building domestic
policy environments that are conducive to the delivery of
more effective environmental legislation, for example
through implementation of gender quotas and provision of
support to civil society groups.
